Fishermen often use more than one fishing rod at the same time or desire to use just one rod while keeping their hands free. However, if a rod is left leaning against a railing on a dock or a boat, it may be pulled into the water if a fish pulls hard on the hook. Even if the rod falls to the ground instead of into the water, the reel may still be damaged. High-end fishing rods are expensive, and there is a demand to protect such equipment from being lost or damaged while in use. Consequently, fishing rod holders have been developed.
Traps and bands have been used to hold a fishing rod in an upright position while unattended on a dock or deck of a boat. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,759,963 discloses an adaptable fastening device for fastening fishing rods to railings, which has a quick release function provided by an elasticized band having a Velcro™ fastening mechanism to secure the two ends together. This band is fastened to the railing. A band of non-stretchable material having a Velcro™ fastening mechanism to secure the two ends together is permanently attached crosswise to the elasticized band, closer to one end thereof. This band is then fastened to the fishing rod. A drawback of this approach is that the band of non-stretchable material fastened to the fishing rod interferes with the natural backbone of the rod. This means that the rod could snap if pulled hard enough by a fish.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,931,782 discloses a fishing rod holder for use when fishing with a single or multiple rods. The rod holder has a hollow cylinder shaped body with u-shaped grooves that have been machined into the cylinder for the placement of fishing rods while in use. Two self-adhering straps attach the rod holder to a railing on a dock or boat. The rod holder also has shorter straps that extend over the rod shaft after having been inserted into one of the u-shaped grooves and which hold the rod in place. A drawback of this approach is that the direction or angle of the fishing rod is limited by the direction of the u-shaped grooves in the rod holder.